Trades Minister to Lead Delegation to 14th World Trade Organisation Conference
The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, will lead Ghana’s high-level delegation to the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The event will be hosted in Yaounde, Cameroon, from March 26 to 29, 2026.
Trade ministers from 166 member states will convene for the conference to negotiate outcomes on agriculture, fisheries subsidies, e-commerce, WTO reform, and development.
The conference, the second WTO Ministerial Conference hosted on the African continent, provides a vital platform for member states to strengthen a fair, rules-based, and development-oriented multilateral trading system amid rising global trade tensions and economic uncertainties.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, Ghana’s Strategic Interests at MC14 is driven by a focused agenda that prioritises development, food security, industrialisation, and inclusive growth.
Key priorities include securing a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security to stabilise domestic food prices and support smallholder farmers; Eliminating trade-distorting agricultural subsidies that undermine the competitiveness of Ghana’s agribusiness and export sectors; Advancing WTO reform that preserves policy space for industrialisation, agriculture modernisation, and economic diversification, while fully maintaining special and differential treatment (S&DT) for developing countries; Ensuring fisheries subsidies negotiations respond to the realities of coastal and fishing communities; Promoting enhanced integration into global value chains through agribusiness development, digital trade facilitation, and sustainable industrial growth.
“These positions are fully aligned with the African Group’s collective stance and underscore Ghana’s commitment to a multilateral trading system that delivers tangible benefits for developing nations.”
On the sidelines of the Conference, the Minister is expected to hold strategic bilateral meetings with trade ministers from the Bahamas, Benin, Burkina Faso, China, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Mali and Turkey.
These discussions will explore deeper trade and investment cooperation, new market access opportunities, and collaboration in agribusiness, manufacturing, services, and the digital economy.
The Minister will also participate in the ECOWAS Ministers of Trade meeting and the ACP Ministerial meeting, where regional and inter-regional positions on critical MC14 issues will be harmonised.
In the words of the Minister: “MC 14 in Yaounde is a historic opportunity for Africa to shape the future of global trade. This government’s vision of a 24-Hour Economy is anchored on producing, processing, exporting, and consuming what we make, while strengthening Ghana’s global trade influence.
“We are committed to expanding the services industry, bridging the digital divide, providing robust support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and securing improved market access for both goods and services. Ghana is attending not merely to negotiate, but to ensure that the outcomes deliver real, transformative gains for our farmers, industries, MSMEs, youth, and entire population.”
The Ghanaian delegation comprises senior officials and experts from the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the Ghana Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Ministry of Finance, Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and Trademark Africa.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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